Daily Beast Junk Journalist: Josh Fiallo
Link To Original Story: It’s Not Just Tesla: Musk’s MAGA Transformation Has X in the Dumps as Well
Analysis By Grok:
1. Is this the entire story?
No, this is not the entire story. The provided narrative is selective, emphasizing negative aspects of X’s user base decline in Europe and Tesla’s financial struggles, while omitting broader context about X’s global performance, user demographics, or potential reasons for the trends beyond Musk’s political alignment. It also lacks detail on Tesla’s overall market position or mitigating factors. Below, I’ll expand on missing elements and integrate available data.
2. What was the total number of subscribers?
The narrative states that X lost 10 million users in Europe since last summer, representing a 10.5% drop. To calculate the total number of users before the loss:
- Let ( x ) be the initial number of users.
- A 10.5% drop means ( 0.105x = 10,000,000 ).
- Solving: ( x = 10,000,000 / 0.105 \approx 95,238,095 ).
Thus, X had approximately 95.24 million monthly active users (MAUs) in Europe before the loss, and after losing 10 million, it has about 85.24 million MAUs as of April 2025. This aligns closely with a report from Music Ally, which states X had 94.8 million MAUs in Europe in April 2025, down 13.2% from 109.2 million a year earlier.
Globally, X’s user base is harder to pin down due to inconsistent reporting since Musk’s acquisition. Estimates vary:
- A February 2025 report claims X has 611 million MAUs worldwide.
- An April 2024 estimate suggests over 500 million MAUs.
- Sensor Tower data indicates over 300 million mobile app MAUs in Q4 2024.
Without X’s official global figures for 2025, the total subscriber count remains uncertain, but Europe’s 85–95 million MAUs likely represent a significant portion of the global base, given the U.S. is estimated to have around 100 million users.
3. Were they free accounts lost?
The narrative does not specify whether the lost users in Europe had free or premium (paid) accounts, and no publicly available data from X’s EU Digital Services Act (DSA) reports explicitly breaks down the 10 million lost users by account type. However, some inferences can be made:
- X’s revenue model is heavily advertising-driven, with most users on free accounts. In 2023, X generated $2.5 billion from advertising and $0.9 billion from subscriptions and data licensing, suggesting the vast majority of users do not pay for premium services.
- A 2023 Statista report estimated only 254,000 X Premium subscribers globally as of April 2023, a tiny fraction of the user base.
- The user loss is reported in terms of “monthly active users,” which includes both logged-in users and those accessing X without accounts (e.g., via public posts). This metric doesn’t distinguish between free and paid accounts.
Given that free accounts dominate X’s user base, it’s reasonable to infer that the vast majority of the 10 million lost users were free accounts, though some premium accounts may have been included. Without specific data, we can’t confirm the exact proportion.
4. Is this story unbiased?
The narrative exhibits several indicators of bias, primarily through selective framing and loaded language. Here’s a critical analysis:
Indicators of Bias:
- Selective Focus on Negatives: The story emphasizes X’s user loss and Tesla’s profit drop, tying both to Musk’s political alignment with Trump and MAGA, without exploring alternative explanations (e.g., competition from platforms like Bluesky, economic factors, or EU regulatory pressures). For example, Bluesky gained traction in 2024, reaching 20 million users, partly due to X’s user exodus. This competitive dynamic is downplayed.
- Causal Attribution: The claim that X’s user loss is due to Musk’s alignment with Trump lacks direct evidence. While posts on X and some reports suggest user dissatisfaction with Musk’s political stance, no data quantifies how many users left specifically for this reason. Other factors, like privacy concerns or dissatisfaction with platform changes, could contribute but are not mentioned.
- Loaded Language: Phrases like “Musk’s right-wing politics” and “uprooting much of the federal government” carry a critical tone, implying recklessness or extremism without neutral context. The term “exodus” dramatizes the user loss, and “face of the MAGA movement” exaggerates Musk’s role without substantiation.
- Omission of Counterpoints: The narrative ignores positive developments, such as X’s reported 61.4% growth in U.S. consumer spending on in-app purchases from January 2024 to January 2025, or the platform’s resilience in maintaining 300–611 million global MAUs despite challenges. It also omits Tesla’s 20% stock surge, as noted in the related video, which could indicate market confidence in Musk’s leadership.
- Unverified Claims: The assertion that Tesla sales declined “by more than 50 percent” in Europe lacks a source and contradicts other reports. For instance, Tesla’s European sales data is not publicly detailed for January–February 2025, and such a drastic drop would require corroboration.
Contextual Factors:
- Political Polarization: The narrative aligns with a broader trend of criticizing Musk’s shift toward conservative politics, as seen in posts on X accusing X of becoming a “cesspool of MAGA propaganda.” This suggests the story may cater to audiences skeptical of Musk’s political influence.
- EU Regulatory Context: X’s user loss reporting is mandated by the EU’s DSA, which has scrutinized X for content moderation and transparency. Some X posts claim Musk’s refusal to comply with EU censorship demands contributes to tensions, potentially influencing user perceptions, but this is not explored.
- Media Framing: Outlets like Social Media Today and Mashable have consistently reported X’s decline, often emphasizing Musk’s controversial decisions. This pattern suggests a narrative bias against Musk’s leadership, though these sources rely on data like DSA reports, which are factual but selectively interpreted.
Counterbalancing Evidence:
- X’s user base decline isn’t unique to Europe. The U.S. and U.K. also saw drops (e.g., 20% in the U.S. over 16 months), suggesting global trends beyond Musk’s politics.
- X remains a top social platform, ranked 12th globally with significant engagement (34 minutes daily per U.S. user).
- Musk’s political alignment may retain or attract conservative users, offsetting losses in liberal-leaning regions like Europe. No data quantifies this, but X posts indicate strong conservative support.
- Tesla’s profit drop may reflect broader EV market challenges or production issues, not just Musk’s focus on DOGE. The narrative’s attribution to his government work is speculative without financial analysis.
Conclusion on Bias:
The story is not fully unbiased. It selectively highlights negative data, attributes causality to Musk’s politics without robust evidence, and uses emotive language to frame him unfavorably. While the user loss figures align with DSA reports, the narrative omits broader context, alternative explanations, and positive metrics, skewing the portrayal. A balanced account would include global user trends, competitive dynamics, and verified financial data for Tesla, while avoiding speculative causal links.
Additional Context and Gaps:
- Why the User Loss? Beyond politics, X faces competition from Bluesky and Threads, which saw 495% and 170% growth in daily active users, respectively, in January 2025. EU privacy laws and content moderation disputes may also deter users.
- Tesla’s European Sales: The claimed 50% sales drop is unverified. Tesla faced supply chain issues and competition in Europe, but precise 2025 data is absent. Protests against Musk’s politics are documented but not quantified as a primary sales driver.
- Musk’s DOGE Role: The narrative implies Musk’s government work harmed Tesla, but his planned step-back in May 2025 suggests a strategic pivot, not a failure. The “blowback” is vague and lacks investor quotes beyond CNN’s summary.
- Data Limitations: X’s opaque reporting since Musk’s acquisition limits global user insights. The DSA provides reliable European data, but North American or Asian figures are speculative.
Final Answer:
- Entire Story: The narrative is incomplete, focusing on X’s European user loss and Tesla’s profit drop while omitting global context, alternative explanations, and positive metrics like X’s in-app revenue growth or Tesla’s stock surge.
- Total Subscribers: X had ~95.24 million MAUs in Europe before losing 10 million, leaving ~85.24 million. Globally, estimates range from 300–611 million MAUs, but exact figures are unavailable.
- Free Accounts: Likely most of the 10 million lost users were free accounts, given X’s ad-driven model and low premium subscriber base (~254,000 in 2023), but no specific breakdown exists.
- Bias: The story is biased, using selective data, loaded language, and unverified causal links to portray Musk negatively. It downplays competition, regulatory factors, and positive indicators, catering to anti-Musk sentiment.
For further details, check X’s DSA reports for Europe (https://transparency.x.com/) or Tesla’s Q1 2025 earnings for financial context.